Germany missed out on the chance to close the gap on the teams above them once again as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Group D rivals the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday evening.

It looked like all three points would be going to the world champions after Toni Kroos opened the scoring, but John O'Shea volleyed home in the final minute of stoppage time to secure a valuable draw for the visitors.

Below, Sports Mole

Match statistics

GERMANY
Shots: 22
On target: 8
Possession: 65%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 10

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Shots: 4
On target: 1
Possession: 35%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10

Was the result fair?

Germany's fans will be heading home trying to figure out how their side were unable to secure a win, but they may not ever find an answer. The world champions were superior from the first whistle, and the statistics show that it should have been a comfortable win for Joachim Low's side. However, they failed to produce the quality needed to put the result beyond doubt, and were eventually punished.

Germany's performance

After losing to Poland on Sunday, Low desperately wanted to see a response from his players, but this display wasn't good enough. OK, they were certainly the better side on the night, but the world champions were still short of their best in Gelsenkirchen. We've come to expect a certain kind of performance from Germany, and they've been unable to match the standards they set in Brazil during the summer. They seemed to lack creativity in the final third of the pitch, despite dominating possession, and gave the ball away far too often late on when they should have closed out the game.

Republic of Ireland's performance

Everyone who watched the game would admire the way Martin O'Neill's side battled against the World Cup winners. Before Kroos broke the deadlock, the visitors were stubbornly protecting the goal with frequent last-ditch tackles and clearances. David Forde was also in fine form with a string of superb saves. After falling behind they were forced to take a different approach, and their brilliant attitude was rewarded when O'Shea converted from close range.

Sports Mole's man of the match

John O'Shea: The Irish supporters will feel that the goal itself was enough for this award to be given to O'Shea, but the equaliser wasn't the only thing he contributed. Not many defenders are able to keep Thomas Muller quiet but the Sunderland defender, winning his 100th cap, managed to do just that as he led the back four superbly to ensure his side had a chance of claiming a famous draw late on.

Biggest gaffe

Lukas Podolski had a great chance to score after collecting a header from Muller inside the box. However, he decided to take a tumble under pressure from Marc Wilson instead, and was punished with a yellow card for diving.

Referee performance

Damir Skomina did well to spot the dive from Podolski in the box, and can be proud of his display in Gelsenkirchen.

What next?

Germany: Low's side return to action on November 14 against Gibraltar.

Republic of Ireland: On the same date, O'Neill will take his players to meet Scotland.